Chapter 4: Introductions: Artistica: Erotica


Just a note: This chapter contains fan fiction of a fan fiction in addition to the regular SIH cast and so will all subsequent Yuu chapters…

The ever lovely and always brilliant TheBlack Flamingo 101 has written a simply marvelous fic entitled "Always" that provides a wonderful O.C. uke for the soooo deserving Yuu. And just so you know, as this fic is done for BF101, she did not ask for her character to be included. That was my decision entirely, though I did ask her permission.

Yuu's partner's name is Araki Hisashi in the BF101's fic and though this may be deemed by some SIH fanatics as blasphemy… Yuu/Hisashi has become my canon. I don't care what Nakamura does at this point: I love "Always" that much. So, if you haven't read that fic yet, I suggest you give it a whirl. She now also has included this couple in a sequel to "Always" entitled "Forever" and this couple is featured in her wonderfully angsty Sekai Ichi Hatsukoi version of "The Uke Flu." So if you like this couple you can now read them in several stories.

If you are opposed to this, you don't have to read those parts, just skip them and read the Kisa/Yukina bits.

Meow! *cough* I mean, enjoy!


Sekai ichi "Cat"sukoi: Introductions

Chapter Four: Introductions

Yanase followed Sato into the back of the pet shop where the supplies were kept. The observant brunet immediately noted a number of pens further on, each designed to hold a hybrid. Seeing the futons in each run, Yanase deduced that this must be where the potential pets passed their nights, occupying the display cages out in the main shop area during the daytime.

Yanase shook his head. It was clean and each run held a mattress that sported a cheery coverlet. Many of pens also showed short stacks of books or magazines on the floor. Still, the rows of cages reminded the artist of a jail cellblock. As Yuu continued down the aisle after Sato he was surprised to see that not all the cages here were empty

One run held a small brown-haired male. He was huddled in a corner sitting on the floor looking miserable. The pen next to his held a huge black male who was restlessly pacing, his majestic, plumed tail swished irritably. Yanase did a double take when he saw this neko: he looked familiar.

"Here we are," Sato said, calling the contemplative Yanase back to her.

Yanase looked up from the large neko he'd been observing and saw the woman had stopped two runs before the big hybrid's. There was such a profound sense of stillness in the run that, at first glance, Yuu would have thought it was empty.

"This is another neko that came from that awful Takemoto's house," Sato whispered. "The Hybrid Humane Society asked me to foster him with the Chiaki. They felt the stress of the pound was hindering his recovery.

"The poor boy. He had a harder time of it than most of the others. I'm afraid he's not doing much better here, no matter how much I've tried to help." Sato clucked with concern, "I'm worried about what's going to become of him."

Yanase frowned and shot Sato a concerned look. Despite the ache in his chest over what had had happened with Chiaki, the woman's words had stirred his naturally intense curiosity. He peered into the shadowed depths of the run. Yanase's sharp eyes could see the outline of a blanketed form occupying the kennel's futon.

"Now, he's listed as an Araki," Sato said, trying to keep the hope out of her voice when she saw the sudden focus in the young man's gaze. "However, he's not a pure blood, I'm afraid. He's mixed with something else. I believe his papers said it was a German breed." The shopkeeper was secretly delighted to see the way that Yanase was taking everything in and that her words did not seem to change this.

That would explain the hair. Yanase noted the wild, curly, pale blond shock that peeped out from beneath the pile of blankets at one end.

"Let me get him up for you," Sato murmured, unlocking the door.

"There's no need, really," Yuu tried to tell her. "To be honest, I really don't know what I was thinking out there. It's not like I need a neko." Yanase reverted to his usual defense mechanisms, trying to deny the pain he'd just experienced.

"Ahhhhhh… right," Sato nodded as she opened the kennel door anyway. She didn't sound the least bit convinced.

Despite what he'd just said, Yuu followed the woman inside the kennel. The first thing he noted on entering was a pile of snack bars on the floor, untouched. Next to this was a small stack of drawing tablets just like the one Chiaki had been sketching in.

Sato followed his gaze. "You might not believe this when you see him, but Araki-chan has gained fifteen pounds since they first took him away from that terrible woman's place. Recently, however, he's stopped eating. If he doesn't start again soon, I'm going to have to resort to force feeding."

Yanase frowned as he heard this, glancing at the still shape in the shadows. He bent down and picked up one of the sketchbooks. "May I?" he asked Sato, indicating the notebook, though he really felt that if he should be asking anyone, it should be the reclining figure softly snoring on the low mattress.

"Please," Sato encouraged. "The case worker for the Hybrid Humane society suggested to all of us fostering that we make drawing supplies available to the nekos from that situation. After all, that was what they had been doing for so long. They advised that it might help them feel more comfortable in their new environments to be able to continue drawing.

"It was also thought it might prove therapeutic," she added.

Yanase nodded thoughtfully at Sato words but his eyes widened measurably when he opened to the first page of the notebook.


Kisa was staring out the window of his enclosure. His ears were lying straight out to the sides and the very end of his tail was dejectedly tapping. His dark-brown eyes were dim with tears as he watched the cab pull away from the curb carrying the chirping Chiaki off with his new owner.

"This is stupid," Kisa muttered. "I'm a thirty year-old tom. I'm too mature to be crying. Besides, I should count my blessings that I don't have to listen to that sweet idiot's chatter anymore."

Still, Kisa's heart wouldn't stop aching. Though he had long ago reconciled himself to the fact he was a fuck feral, that didn't mean that there wasn't a part of him that didn't desperately want to belong to someone… to know what it was like to love and be loved. Kisa wiped the troublesome tears from his eyes and took a deep breath.

As much as he knew it would only exacerbate his current sense of heartbreak, Kisa felt his teary gaze magnetically drawn back over to the Marimo. The neko uttered a gasp of horror, however, when his eyes fell on the subject of his feline stalking and he saw the bookseller out of the store. He was rushing across the busy street headed in the direction of the pet shop.

Oh no! Kisa's heart started pounding. Please, don't let him come in here. He began to panic. What if the man noticed I've been watching him and is coming over here to complain?

Kisa tucked himself as far as he could into the corner. When the cinnamon-maned giant burst through the door of the shop the man was a bit out of breath from having dashed across the street so quickly.

"I just saw someone leaving with a dark-haired kitten," Yukina panted, addressing the assistant, Kiku. "I hope it wasn't the one I wanted. I had decided to come in today and get him, but I was late to work and my lunch hour is the first chance I've had to get here."

The young shop-woman was startled by the tall youth's entrance, but she immediately recognized him from the Marimo: Kisa was not the only one to visually stalk the bookstore employee. She suddenly glowed, being in the presence such a gorgeous example of manhood. "Excuse me ah…"

"Yukina," the young man supplied with a bow.

"We still have one neko in the window, Yukina-san," Kiku bowed back and simpered. "Let's go look at him. Shall we?"

"I didn't see any nekos in the window on my way over." The anxiety lessened on Yukina's handsome face hearing there was still a neko in the window. He hoped so much it was the one he'd noticed watching him from across the street over the last week.

Yukina had never imagined himself with a neko, especially a male one at that. After all, he was a college student on a limited budget and very popular with the ladies. Still, despite these things, (and the fact his big-eyed peeper looked barely legal), something in the kitten's watchfulness had stirred him and he'd found himself looking forward to work, because it meant he'd be able to see the neko.

"Oh, that Kisa-chan is probably hiding along the edge," Kiku offered. "He's rather shy and skittish, hardly playful with humans. Though he can be cute to watch sometimes when he's interacting with other nekos. Erm, and just so you know, Yukina-san," the sly young woman gave her hair an enticing flip. "If it is the Kisa you're interested in, he's actually an old tom and not a kitten at all."

"Really?" Yukina looked surprised.

"Yes. He's here as part of an adult adoption program sponsored by the Hybrid Humane Society," Kiku upped her flirtation a notch, batting her eyes at the book-selling prince next to her. When this didn't earn her the response she'd hoped for (as she was rather striking herself) Kiku decided to provide Yukina with some information that might turn his attention off the catman in the window and back on to her.

"You know, I really don't think a Kisa is the breed for you. If I may be so bold, Yukina-san." Kiku tried to sound sage, "Kisas are rather shy and reserved most of the times. Unless you provoke them of course, then they can become surprisingly combative. Besides, this particular Kisa is a feral uke." her voice dropped lower, "Please excuse my coarse language, Yukina-san, but the exact term for what this Kisa is, is a fuck feral."

Yukina's eyebrows rose at this. "What exactly does that mean?" His voice was curious but mild.

This was not the response Kiku had anticipated. "It means he acts like a uke neko in heat all the time." She sniffed showing her disapproval of such antics.

Yukina frowned. Not so much at what the assistant had told him, but rather at the way Kiku said it. Yukina didn't feel it was her place to pass judgments on the hybrid. Living as a feral was probably a very difficult life. Without knowing the situation that the Kisa had been in, who knew what might have been causing such behavior.

Though he'd never thought of himself as a possible seme before, Yukina realized he did actually possess a lot of seme qualities. Not to mention, at his age, he understood more than a bit what perpetual heat felt like.

Misreading the handsome bookseller's displeasure, Kiku continued. "Look, just read his papers." She indicated the sheaf hanging on outside of the enclosure now that they'd reached it. "They'll tell you everything you need to know about having the Kisa as a potential pet."

Yukina stepped to the papers and perused them. Feral, Incorrigible, and Flight Risk, were all stamped in big red letters at the top. He glossed over those words, however, and scanned the rest of the information. His eyes widened and a small smile quirked his mouth when he saw under Employment History that the Kisa had worked as an assistant editor at a small publishing house. Yukina was familiar with the name; it carried some of his favorite shoujo titles.

"Look, Yukina-san, if you want to look at cute nekos…" Kiku pulled out her best smile, "There's a new neko anime playing at the theatre down the street. I get off work at six thirty if you'd like to go with me?"

Yukina lifted his eyes from Kisa's documents. It took him a moment to process what the young woman was saying. "Umm… No, thank you, Sawa-san," Yukina said, reading the nametag on the woman's uniform.

Kisa had been eavesdropping from where he sat. When he heard Yukina say this, the cat man edged himself a bit out of his corner.

His movement caught Yukina's eye and he glanced over. He recognized Kisa immediately and a huge sparkly smile blossomed on his face. "I'm going to be too busy with my new neko to do anything like that for quite a while."

"You mean you're still interested in him?" Kiku was flabbergasted, though not nearly as much as the wide-eyed neko in the window.

"Well, if he'll have me." Yukina's smile dimmed just a bit thinking that maybe he'd misread the little neko's interest. He was used to having people admire him and he didn't want to be overconfident because of this.

Kiku reluctantly unlocked the enclosure and peered in. "Come here, Kisa-chan," she called, sounding exasperated. Kisa moved out of his corner at the woman's order. But when he got close to the entrance he held back.

"Come, Kisa-chan, don't be stubborn," Kiku chided.

Kisa pointed to the shock collar on his neck and then the sensor mounted at the top of the door. His ears were flat and his tail twitched nervously. "I can't, Kiku-san. I'm sorry but I don't want to get shocked again."

"Oh, right." Kiku sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Why is he wearing something like that?" Yukina asked, looking from the jealous shop assistant to the blushing neko. He was horrified that someone would employ such a device another living creature.

"It's standard practice for flight risks," Kiku explained. She didn't understand why Yukina seemed so upset. "Otherwise, a feral like Kisa-chan would have been out the door the minute our backs were turned. In fact, if you adopt him, I know that Sato-san will recommend you get a similar style for your home, along with an alarm system for your windows."

"I'm sure there won't be any need for something like that, right, Kisa-san?" Yukina smiled at the bewildered neko.

Kisa was overcome. Being in such close proximity to this magnitude of seme had rendered him speechless. Even his ever-twitching tail had stilled. Kisa couldn't believe that someone like this would ever want to own an acknowledged back alley cat like himself.

"Look," Kiku had suddenly become much more businesslike now that was apparent Yukina was uninterested in her because he harbored some unreasonable cat fetish. "The store owner, Sato-san, has the code to turn off the sensor. She's in the back right now. I'll go get her."

"That's fine," Yukina said. "In the meantime, Kisa-san and I will get better acquainted."

Both neko and the shop assistant gasped as Yukina, shedding glitter with every movement, proceeded to crawl into the shop window with Kisa.


Yanase was flipping through the Araki's notebooks with wonder. Every square inch of the paper was covered. Page after page was filled with meticulously rendered hands and feet. In all his years in manga, Yuu had never seen such skillful articulation.

The artist shook his head. The disgraced manga-ka, Takemoto, had been revered in certain artistic circles for her impeccable details. She was famous for her hands and feet in particular. They were known to add another level of poetry to her work, elevating it above many other manga. And here he was, holding her hands and feet in his own hands. They had probably never been hers to begin with.

Any page that wasn't packed with these was covered in portraits. It was the same image in every possible position. Whether it was a head or full figure, each was of a beautiful dark-haired male neko. Even a casual observer, Yuu imagined, would have been able to pick up on the sense of intimacy with which the subject had been conveyed. With his sharp perception, Yuu sensed that every line was made with equal measures of love and loss. On one page a name was written under the image of the striking hybrid. He had been drawn in a posture that looked like he was peacefully sleeping.

"Atsushi."

However, Yanase would have known the name even without seeing it there. He'd seen the neko's face on a dozen news stories when the case first broke. The hybrid was the one who had brought attention to what was happening at the author's home. And what had happened to him had earned outrage from neko lovers all across Japan.

Somehow Atsushi had managed to escape Takemoto's feline prison. Tragically he was hit by a car not far from the woman's house. The person who hit him, fortunately, was a hybrid lover. He had stopped to try and save the young male rather than drive off. People often did in such cases.

Atsushi however didn't die immediately. The devastated driver had called for help and had cradled the dying neko in his arms until the vet medics arrived. The driver was as distraught about Atsushi's condition as he was about the fact he'd hit the poor hybrid. Atsushi had been completely emaciated and, beyond the damage done by the car that hit him, he was covered with a multitude of much older bruises.

Atsushi managed to gasp out the situation he'd escaped from and plead for the rescue of the other nekos on the woman's property before he died. He'd literally given his life to save Takemoto's other imprisoned pets.

Yanase set the notebook down reverently, feeling as though he'd trespassed something sacred by looking in the Araki's sketch pad. Yuu understood instantly that he wasn't the only one standing in that run who'd recently had his heart broken.


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